


Where In The World

by agentsimmons



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Angst, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Gen or Pre-Slash, Hero Complex, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jealous Tony Stark, Jealousy, M/M, Minor Bruce Banner/Betty Ross, Minor Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Minor Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Multi, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Platonic Life Partners, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Canon Fix-It, Protective Tony Stark, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Shippy Gen, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:17:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3922582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentsimmons/pseuds/agentsimmons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Where in this world am I not a threat?" He hadn't known then, but he figured it out soon enough. </p>
<p>[also known as low-key jealous!Tony does not ship Brutasha because he's too busy simultaneously shipping Bruce with Betty and, frankly, himself...but just as friends of course...]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where In The World

Nobody ever asked him his opinion on whatever it was that was brewing between Banner and Romanoff. They didn't need to.

His deliberate avoidance of the subject was opinion enough. Oh sure, he acknowledged it. They were adults and could do whatever they pleased. And he couldn't very well ignore it completely when it was there staring him blankly in the face and he had to acknowledge it during code greens. It’s just he did the bare minimum, as though it were a casual topic worth nothing of value.

But when he named the Hulk-busting dome he had created Veronica... Well, any doubts on where he stood were settled. Only Thor had needed an explanation as to why the reveal of Tony's contingency plan had made everyone respond awkwardly.

Tony just wasn't here for it.

Clint might have accepted his permanent residency in the friend zone and found someone else to settle down with. And Steve was likely too noble to even understand the concept of a friend zone, and likely wouldn't even believe in its existence, to be bitter about her choice. But just because Clint seemed happy enough and just because Steve was a gentleman didn't mean Tony had to go around promoting Romanoff's sudden stake on his friend's affections too. Clint and Steve cared about Natasha, but Tony cared about Bruce. Tony could only see the treacherous Black Widow. He could only see Bruce's obvious reluctance to her advances. He had the variables and as far as he could tell the equation had no logical solution.

Still, he had let them be. If Bruce and Natasha wanted to play with fire, it was their prerogative. If they were in desperate need of a hook up, who was he to judge? Hey, even if they wanted to give the relationship a serious go it wasn't any of his business. No matter how much he disapproved.

But he did disapprove. And with the threat of annihilation by his own creation, the vision he had seen of the future, the personal hit they had all taken... He just couldn't shake the little voice that said he needed to protect, protect, protect. Not just with the big things, but with the little, personal things, too.  _This_ was personal and it was just as important. Mad scientists. That's what he'd called himself and Dr. Banner. That's what they were when they were together. It was something special and maybe not at all healthy, but it was real. The Banner he knew was not the Banner he saw with Romanoff and the Banner he saw with Romanoff was not a Banner he liked. He couldn't shake the need to warn his friend, to protect him from a big mistake. If he protected Natasha too in the process, well, that would be a bonus. He wanted to protect all of them if he could.

"What are you doing?" Tony finally asked, no longer able to resist his state of mind.

They were alone in their lab, transferring J.A.R.V.I.S. into the body that Ultron had created. Bruce looked up from his tablet and squinted at the billionaire genius.

"What do you mean what am I doing?" Bruce tilted his head. "Oh no, don't tell me you're going to play this game with me now. You know exactly what I'm doing, Tony. I'm creating what could very well be another murder-bot. And all because YOU asked me to. You...oh... Why do I let you talk me into these things... If you think I'm going to roll over and take the blame for this..."

_Yep. Mad scientists._ "I'm not talking about murder-bots right now. I'm talking about you and Romanoff. Although I can understand the confusion between murder-bots and Romanoff."

Bruce's mouth fell open and his eyes twitched. "What? Are we really going to do this now? NOW? Look, Tony, I get it. You don't approve. If you thought you were being inconspicuous about your feelings on the subject, you were mistaken." He shook his head and looked down at his tablet once more. 

"One, I never meant to be inconspicuous. More like deliberately indifferent for your sake. Two, I can't keep it in anymore: you two are heading for disaster. Get out while you can."

"Ok, look, I appreciate the brotherly heart-to-heart, Tony, or at least I would if we weren't in the middle of this whole Ultron fiasco, but whether or not I get out is my own business. Natasha and I might actually have something special. I had my doubts too, believe me, Tony. But I don't think I do now."

"Really? You don't _think_? Are you sure it's not just because we're facing an end of the world situation here and it's messing with your head? That Witch played with all of us. What did she show you, hmm?" Bruce froze and Tony backed away from that particular subject. "No, no, let's not go there. I don't even want to go there. But Bruce, buddy, I'm not convinced you care about Natasha that way. And I think I'm a pretty good judge of when somebody's just having a physical reaction." He tossed his head side to side a few times.

"It's not just that. A-and I don't know why we're still having this conversation."

"Why? Look around you!" Tony became more enthusiastic about the subject, without raising his voice too aggressively. "Why are you here while Clint searches for Natasha?" 

"Because he knows how to find her. That's not my expertise, Tony." Bruce stared down his friend, once again ignoring his work. "And if I wasn't here then we wouldn't even be having this conversation. You wouldn't have anyone to help you with this." He waved his hand above the surface of the casket.

"You don't even get it do you, Banner? The woman you claim to have something special with is being held by a murder-bot right now as we speak... Unless she of course got away on her own, but that's not the point. The point is, instead of doing everything in your power to go find her, you gave into _my_ advances." Bruce dropped his head and Tony studied him carefully. "And, hey, while I'm truly flattered, big guy, I can't say I'd do the same for you. If this were Pepper, I sure as hell wouldn't still be standing here. And you know what? Something tells me you wouldn't be either if we were talking about Betty."

Bruce's eyes shot back up, slightly dilated. His fist clenched and he set down the tablet. "Tony, I think it's best if we stop now. The last thing I want is to hurt you. Please."

"No, I won't stop." Tony shook his head stubbornly. "Why? Because I care about you. I won't until you stop kidding yourself, Banner. I know why you let Betty go and I get it. I respect it. Honest. I remember that first night you were here after the battle of New York. That heart-to-heart we had about everything and the raw emotion you had when we got to the subject of Ross. I didn't know if you would Hulk up and rip me to shreds or if you would just want to cry on my shoulder. Still not even sure which one I would have preferred," he couldn't resist a joke, if only to keep the angry scientist from feeling more threatened than need be.

He then continued, "You loved her and did what you had to prove it. But if you think you've stopped loving her since then, I don't know what to tell you. And getting involved with someone else just because you think it might work out or because maybe it's safer is still going to hurt in the long run. If that's the kind of romance you want, then I'll shut up and let you live. But don't lie to yourself about it. Don't destroy your conscience like I did for years. Just own it. Where would you be right now if this _were_ Betty?" The question hung in the air, the following silence threatening to shatter both of their sanity. Tony came closer to the casket, challengingly, fearlessly. He leaned over it slightly, looking Bruce directly in the eye. "Where would you be right now if it were me?" 

Bruce held Tony's gaze, the anger and frustration visibly boiling beneath the doctor's surface in a way Tony hadn't seen since on board the helicarrier. Bruce swallowed hard and then licked his twitching lips. "If we're going to finish this in time we need to get back to work," he said with a steady calm so completely opposite to what he clearly felt that it unnerved Tony into submission.

"You're right." Tony blinked a few times and took in a deep breath. He watched as Bruce went to pick up the tablet, but then suddenly reached across and seized Bruce's forearm, no thought to how he was taking his own life in his hands if the Hulk found it to be a threat. "I'm sorry."

Bruce's brow was knitted as he looked at Tony's worn, pitiable expression. All trace of self-assurance was missing from Tony's eyes. "I'm still indescribably angry with you, Tony," Bruce said through nearly gritted teeth. However, he reached over with his other hand and placed it on Tony's forearm, the same that gripped his own. "But if by some miracle we get through this," he felt Tony flinch, but pressed on, "then I promise we'll talk about it later."

* * *

Later hadn't come. The thought of how he and Bruce had left things was just one more skeleton for his crowded closet. He had no way of knowing for certain. Maybe something else had happened. But logic told him that he was at least partially to blame for Bruce's unexpected choice.

"Any word on his whereabouts, yet?" Pepper asked, her sympathetic face beaming at Tony from the built-in screen on the car dash.

"Not yet," Tony answered, glancing down at her momentarily before looking back at the road. "But they're still looking. If my dad could spend a couple million dollars looking for Cap, then Banner deserves that much at least."

"I know this has been hard, Tony. But we both know he's okay _somewhere_. He wouldn't do anything too drastic. And you'll find him. You're good at that kind of thing."

"I just wish..." Tony started, but shook his head unable to finish his train of thought. 

"I know," Pepper responded. "It's not your fault. He made his own choice, Tony. I'm sure Natasha feels just as bad as you do right now." He opened his mouth to retort, but she didn't let him. "I wish I could be there when you get home, but I promise I'll be on the plane first thing tomorrow morning. Also, not to harp on this, but do we have to keep FRIDAY as our new A.I.? She sent me three alerts yesterday about a possible security breach, but then sent three more alerts about it being a false alarm. Even if I didn't miss J.A.R.V.I.S. already, I think she might be malfunctioning."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. She's just not as advanced as J.A.R.V.I.S." There was slight melancholy in his tone. "But I wish you were at home to meet me too," he added in regards to her previous point, looking at her with his typical charismatic smile. "I could use a little R&R of the rock & roll variety. Nice long shower. Candlelight dinner for two." He became more and more sentimental as he continued. "Honestly, honey, you know just holding you is enough after these whole save the world deals."

"I do know. But," her voice grew husky and she slowly began unbuttoning her blouse, "I can guarantee the little extra wait will be worth it."

"Do you want me to wreck?" he asked jokingly. "Hey, uh, nobody's in the room there with you right?"

"I have to go, Tony," she said, ignoring his question, while also deliberately dragging her fingers along the exposed swells of her breast, before beginning to button her shirt back up.

"Tease," Tony snarked in reply before they said their goodbyes.

Twenty minutes later Tony pulled into the driveway of his reconstructed Malibu mansion. Having spent most of the past year at Avengers Tower, he was glad to be home. He was glad to even have a place that _was_ home.

"Welcome home, Mr. Stark," FRIDAY greeted as he entered the house. 

"Thanks, FRIDAY." He looked around his main living area and gave a sigh of relief. However, his face quickly fell at how empty it seemed. With Pepper out of town and not even Rhodey around to keep him company, he suddenly felt very lonely. It was the kind of loneliness he hadn't felt since he was much younger and too stubborn to admit it. He shook his head to rid it of his pessimistic thoughts and turned so he didn't see the emptiness so much. "So, hey, FRIDAY, mind telling me why you sent those messages to Pepper? And not me while we're at it?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I believed it in my protocol to send them to Ms. Potts since this was currently her permanent place of residence. Yours was listed as Avengers Tower."

"Right, right. Forgot to update it. Okay, but what about the messages? There was a security breach, but there wasn't a security breach? It's your job to protect us, FRIDAY," he chastised her mildly.

"Yes, sir. I know, sir. There was someone on the premise and so I alerted Ms. Potts of the threat. I would have scanned the trespasser to identify them, but my programming is still quite--"

"Yeah, I know. It needs work. To be fair, I created you quite a while ago."

"And to be fair, sir, I was never intended to be anything more than your private secretary."

"Touche," Tony relented. "So, did the trespasser leave then? Can you at least access the security footage? Come on, FRIDAY. Work with me here."

"I can access the footage, yes. But I signaled the false alarm to Ms. Potts because the person in question gave the override access code."

"The what?" Tony's eyes widened. "Let me get this straight. You mean, not just the access code, but the emergency one for when we're away and the house is on lockdown? _That_ access code?"

"Yes, sir."

"Impossible. Besides myself, only 5 other people know about that code, FRIDAY."

"Yes, sir. Ms. Virginia 'Pepper' Potts. Happy Hogan. Lt. Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes. Dr. Robert Bruce Banner. Captain Steve Rogers." FRIDAY needlessly named off the access list while Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation and tried to stop her with a "yes, thank you, I know the list, you don't have to" all while thinking to himself that Pepper was right. FRIDAY would need a serious upgrade or... Well, he was feeling too vulnerable to consider anything crueler at the moment.

"FRIDAY, of those people, none of them could have accessed the house yesterday. And four of them would have at least contacted me if they had. So unless this has all been one big rouse and Pepper is somewhere in a bathrobe waiting to rock my world, what you're essentially telling me is we've been compromised on your watch."

"Sir--" FRIDAY began, but was unable to finish.

"Well, I guess I could go put on a robe if you really want me to." Tony spun with a jerk to see Bruce standing where he hadn't been standing previously. "But, uh, I don't know if I'm really ready for that other part."

Tony laughed, disbelief written all over his face, and shook his head as he went over to his friend. "You son of a--"

"Language," Bruce joked as Tony clasped two firm hands on his arms and looked at him in awe.

"Well, I guess we can forego the other part, but I _am_ happy enough I could almost kiss you, Banner," Tony said with a smirk and moved his arms to hug the previously-presumed-missing doctor instead.

Tony Stark had only genuinely hugged a handful of people in his adult life as it was a frighteningly intimate gesture in his mind and not one he was able to allow himself to offer without any true inclination. Bruce knew this and returned the hug gladly. 

"Sorry I didn't give you any warning, Tony. I just... I didn't want anyone finding out, you know?" Bruce shrugged once they finished their hug.

"Oh, I know. You weren't very inconspicuous with your whole disappearing act," Tony said with his own shrug. "But why here? Of all the places in the world? You could have picked any island or, I don't know, maybe tried a little space travel," he laughed. 

"That's just it," Bruce began, though not without a small snicker at his quip about space travel. "When it came down to it, there was no where else. This is the one place where I'm not a threat."

"Even after that wringer I put you through back in New York?"

"Especially after that," Bruce answered, his response taking Tony off guard. "See, when we were in the lab, I was angry with you. But you were never in any danger from the Hulk. It was all me, Tony. Hulk... I don't know how to explain it, but he trusts you. Even after you knock his lights out," he laughed. "He wasn't the one threatening you in the lab, I was. I was angry, just like I was with Wanda for triggering my code green. But it was a different kind of anger. I was mad at you because you were right. And I kind of hated you for it."

"Ok, ok, slow down," Tony said, holding up his hands and shaking his head. "Did you just say I was right? I-I think I need a moment," Tony only partially joked as he walked to the stairs that led to his lab, Bruce following. "So let me get this straight. Hulk wasn't threatened during that whole thing, but you were. You think that means your probability of forced transformation is greatly reduced with me. So you picked here for your safe house."

"Yeah, something like that," Bruce answered. "If you and Pepper will have me, of course. I won't intrude."

Tony turned on the lights as they entered the lab and his many robots, including rebuilt Dummy, came alive. "Hey, boys. Daddy's home. Miss me? And would you look at that," he gestured to Bruce, "I brought home another dad for you to completely disobey." Bruce smiled at Tony's offhand way of welcoming him to stay. "So, was I dreaming or did you actually say I was right upstairs?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you can probably guess what I mean without my telling you. Natasha is... She's amazing and special and unlike any other woman I've ever met. But she deserves someone who will adore her the way she adores him." He paused, remembering their moment in Sokovia. "I'm not that guy. I can't be because Betty's still on my mind more than I like to admit. I thought I could move on. I thought I could try again with someone who wouldn't constantly be in danger because she can handle herself. I thought I could at least have someone, you know? And, hey, Natasha's got that infectious way of persuading people. I wanted to believe I could just go with it if she were willing. Who knows? Maybe she was just as vulnerable as me. Maybe we were both lonely and fooling ourselves. I hope so for her sake. I really do."

"Maybe I shouldn't have interfered," Tony finally relented. "Happiness with someone is better than with no one, right?"

"Oh, that's why I was angry. As soon as you mentioned Betty I knew that the sting was still too much. I knew that whatever Natasha and I could have would never be one hundred percent; at least, not on my part. And I was angry that I couldn't go on denying it. But I told myself it didn't matter. It could still work. And I was going to stubbornly go ahead and run away with Natasha if that's what it would take to prove it. But then something happened when I went to help Natasha. We... I... I realized it wasn't right. It wouldn't work out. We would only end up a disaster like you predicted. During our fight with Ultron, every single thing you said in the lab kept running through my mind. Every single moment I had with Natasha ran through my mind. When she came to find Hulk, I fought back. I think Hulk did too. We both seemed to realize it was better for us to just disappear again."

"You could have been maybe a little less passive aggressive about it, buddy," Tony offered playfully. "Natasha's a big girl. She could have handled it. Well, probably. But I'm probably just still a little upset about losing you too. I thought I'd pushed you to the edge."

"Well, yeah, Tony, you sort of did," Bruce said with a slight bite to his tone. "But I'm also glad you did. Disappearing just seemed like the best solution. I think she needs time away from me to clear her own head and see how she really feels. And, me, I just don't want any part of that world unless there's a need."

"I understand that sentiment," Tony answered with a sigh. "Well, I'm glad you at least came here. You're alive and that's all that matters. You can stay as long as you want and we'll figure out a way to keep you off the grid. I'm not losing you again, pal." 

"Thanks. Frankly, I don't want to _be_ lost again. It's a pretty miserable feeling. Miserable and lonely." Bruce hung his head as the memory of years of running away overwhelmed him.

"Hey, look at me," Tony commanded and Bruce obliged. "You're not lost. You're right here and what's more, you're safe here. You said so yourself. You may not have Betty or Natasha, but you've got me. And I may not be a beautiful babe you can canoodle with, but I'll do my best to make up for that in other ways. You won't be miserable and lonely on my watch."

Bruce smiled. Tony was never one for moderation. "Thanks, Tony, but don't think you have to go through too much trouble or anything. Just being here... It's nice. Avengers Tower never really felt like home, you know? Always felt sort of temporary."

"That could be one of the nicest compliments I've received at the expense of one of my greatest achievements," Tony said with his usual, casual snark. "But, hey, welcome home then. Mi casa es tu casa. That is the phrase right? Oh well. I think we're overdue for some beers and pizza and old-fashioned male-bonding in front of the television for a change. I'm kind of labbed out, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I could go for a change of pace," Bruce replied with a laugh as he watched Tony head back toward the stairs. He looked down slightly, contemplation etched upon his brow, and then looked back up at Tony. He licked his lips as he often did when thinking and held his tongue between his teeth for a moment. "Um, hey, before we change the subject completely," Bruce began, trying to sound casual, but failing, "when I said you were right..." Tony turned to look at him and Bruce's voice died in his throat.

"I do _not_ get tired of hearing that," Tony quipped, causing Bruce to give a soft chuckle that helped him regain his composure.

"Yeah, well, one, I wouldn't get used to it. Two, not to make things weird or anything, but when I said that, I think you should know, I didn't only mean Betty. I mean, yeah, I would have been Hulk in a few seconds flat if it had been her instead of Natasha. But... I would have triggered the transformation had it been you too."

Tony's eyebrows went up at Bruce's confession. When he had asked the question in a last ditch effort to prove to his friend that even he meant more to him than Romanoff, he had never expected an answer. 

Bruce became flustered by the silence. "Oh god, it _is_ weird isn't it? I did make it weird, oh man, I just meant... You know, if I would have Hulked up for my best friend and not Natasha, then what does that say... You know what, I'm just going to stop talking. I think we should just go upstairs and get some beer and pizza and just not be weird." Bruce brought his hand to his face as he shook his head slightly. "It's still weird isn't it?"

Bruce looked back up to see Tony had crossed the distance between them and was standing in front of him again.

"Actually," Tony pursed his lips and scrunched his face thoughtfully, "I don't think it is." He threw his arm around Bruce's shoulders and they began towards the stairs again. "Now, if you were wearing the robe, then it'd probably be a little weird."

Bruce's subsequent laughter lasted the entire way up the staircase and Tony smiled wide at his friend's response. Dr. Banner definitely was not a threat here. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically my response to Bruce/Natasha through the lens of Tony. I don't like the idea of Tony being on board with these two trying a dating relationship, so I had to fix it so that he isn't. And I wanted to play with the idea of Tony being instrumental in Bruce's about face at the end of the movie (because really you're just going to kiss and run like that?? I don't actually understand anything about that messy romance arc tbh...). Like the moment when Natasha finds him in the middle of that plaza or whatever and he seems reluctant, that's essentially what I'm playing with in this fic and inserting the plot that it was Tony's influence. Also low-key implication that Tony is actually jealous (while simultaneously rooting for Bruce/Betty) is intentional and hopefully comes through in the finished product.
> 
> AND THEN of course, I got started and couldn't stop myself. This went from a fic about Tony trying to shut down his notp with an open ending to me thinking, but omg what if this was how it ended and he would be all super sad and the bros/boyfriends are no longer together (he does seem so melancholy to me at the end of the movie, not his usual chipper dan). And so I was saddened by that idea and had to fix that too. Thus, Bruce choosing of all the places in the world to hide...with Tony. It just seemed natural and right to me (obviously from a shipper pov). I mean, essentially Bruce chose to go with Tony at the end of the first film and it's implied that Tony's influence/friendship is what keeps him in the game (since his cameo is in IM3). So I like that idea idk. The idea that he has a stronger bond with Tony than with Natasha, or any of the others and that he would go back to him of all people. Tony is his safehouse :')
> 
> Also want to explain my thought process on the "my advances" bit... Because omg it's literally like Tony was throwing himself at Bruce a la Natasha in the scene where he asks Bruce to help him [create Vision]. Like he deliberately watches Clint leave and kinda looks around like he's prowling and then is super intimate and manipulative with him and it's great tbh. He even calls them both monsters just like Natasha tried to do previously. If that's not intentional parallel shippy-ness, it should be. 
> 
> Obvious Disclaimers: 
> 
> \- I love Bruce, but hate writing about him and referring to Hulk because it's just always so confusing and probably incorrect here so I'm sorry about that  
> \- I don't believe in friendzones. But Tony probably would refer to them, even if just cheekily (whether or not he actually believes in them varies from one interpretation of his character to the next)  
> \- Since this is shippy gen based on the canonical actualizations of the characters (aka they're hetero), I think they would definitely have hetero reservations about getting too weird together while also throwing around shippy dialogue because they're simultaneously comfortable with that kind of talk - or at least Tony is. The "weird" thing wasn't meant as insult. I guess it could be implied homophobia though (I just didn't tag it because I wasn't quite sure???). But the weird thing _was_ definitely inspired partly by the "hold your own" exchange between Tony and Rhodey and the "weird" exchange at the end of IM2.


End file.
